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www.postmagazine.com 4 POST MAY/JUNE 2022 BITS & PIECES NBCUNIVERSAL STUDIOPOST OPENS NEW HITCHCOCK MIX STAGE LOS ANGELES — NBCUniversal StudioPost (www.universalstu- dioslot.com) recently opened the new Hitchcock mixing stage on the Universal Studios Lot. Sound Stage 6 was transformed over the past year into an advanced theatrical mixing stage. This project is part of a $1 billion NBCUniversal investment in the studio lot over the next fi e years. Designed as a stylish, creative workspace for directors, producers and post production teams, the new Hitchcock stage features an open-air lobby with a two-story window bank to maximize natural light. Directors have a private office with a port view onto the mixing stage, as well as sound and picture feeds directly from the stage. The stage technology in- cludes a Meyer nine-ring Atmos speak- er system, 4K laser cinema projection and a 96-fader Avid S6 console. Four editorial rooms connect to the stage via a secure fibe optic network that connects all StudioPost facilities. Two full kitchens, conference and lounge areas, and an adjacent outdoor patio make the new stage facility a creative, relaxed and productive place to finis a motion picture or streaming project. The new Hitchcock mixing stage is home to the award-winning mix- ing team of Jon Taylor and Frank A. Montaño. The team has mixed com- mercial and critical hit films, includin Fast 9: The Fast Saga, First Man, The Revenant, Straight Outta Compton and Unbroken, among others. "The mixing stage is designed to match how theaters are being built today so films easily t anslate from mix stage to movie theater," Taylor ex- plains. The sound is tight, pristine and microscopic. You hear everything." "With the architects, we were able to map out a one-of-a-kind mixing en- vironment," adds Montaño. "In today's mix, elements are constantly in flux, so e added four editing bays inside the facility to handle changes in dialogue, music and effects to react instanta- neously to filmma er requests. People are blown away by this space." The Hitchcock stage came online in January 2022. The fir t film o mix on the new stage was the A24 feature X, written and directed by Ti West, and starring Mia Goth, Jenna Ortega, Martin Henderson, Brittany Snow, Owen Campbell, Stephen Ure and Scott Mescudi. Built in the 1930s, Universal's Sound Stage 6 has held such famous produc- tions as Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948), Spartacus (1960), The Blues Brothers (1980), and Scarface (1983). To honor the stage's rich storytell- ing legacy, wood reclaimed from the stage's lighting grid structure has been used in wall paneling and in custom tables for the facility. The technical infrastructure buildout was led by the NBCUniversal StudioPost engineering team, headed by Mike Morongell and Gary Gorman. The stage's versatile systems enable Bill Meadows, in-house mix tech, to securely deliver files in all ormats and specific tions seamlessly. The stage fea- tured a custom mixing credenza constructed on-lot by the Universal Studios Facilities Mill and Metal Shop.